CATALYST-DESIGN

Key Findings within Pittsburgh’s Present Medical and Education Sectors

Pittsburgh’s steel wealth helped create the institutional foundation that would later support the city’s economic transition from manufacturing industry to medical and educational industries. Funding universities such as Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, along with libraries and cultural institutions throughout the region.

As the decline of the steel industry became more pronounced through the latter part of the 20th century, these institutions provided an existing foundation for Pittsburgh to shift toward the medical, healthcare, scientific, and educational sectors.

The University of Pittsburgh became a notable actor in the region, with decades of research in computer science and engineering attracting major industries such as Google, Uber, and other high-tech research & design institutions.

Additionally, the presence of the healthcare industry became another anchor industry that allowed for continued employment, institutional investment, and economic activity as the traditional industrial base declined.

Together, these institutions and industries provided Pittsburgh with an existing foundation for an economic transition, allowing the region to retain and build upon institutional capacity rather than having to develop entirely new economic anchors from scratch.